The timing of this listing for a 1992 Mercedes-Benz 500E is particularly poignant for yours truly. I have an identical car, and was committed to selling it this month. I may still put it up for sale, as it’s one of those long-term projects I never seem to get to. But when I see those flared fenders and the chiseled lines of a W124 sedan, it’s near impossible not to feel the pull of keeping it around for a little while longer. The 500E listed here on craigslist has low miles for the year – under 100,000 – and the seller is asking $60,000.
That’s a fair amount of scratch for one of these, even with the rarity factored in. We’ve seen some cars reach those prices with much lower miles and better cosmetics. Right away, you’ll notice that the bumpers and lower body cladding have been painted to match the rest of the car, which isn’t to factory specs. The AMG-style wheels are likely replicas, as it’s rare that people spend the big money on the authentic wheels when accurate copies exist. The car is said to have no rust, which is a major selling point for one of these; rust issues are not uncommon on the W124.
This is a straight-line speed car. Really, that’s the biggest disappointment when you get into one of these in that it’s a bit of a one-trick pony. It doesn’t handle poorly, but it’s not meant for aggressive backroads cutting and carving. The W124 chassis backbone is still present, which means it’s comfortable and able to be driven in anger without cause for concern. But its biggest party trick is simply smoking every other car when the light turns green. The interior shows Recaro seats front and rear, but the connection to the storied sports seats manufacturer is subtle at best – just like the rest of the car.
The reason people love these is because of the story: Porsche was desperate for a lifeline of cash, and Mercedes decided to stuff the large M119 engine in the front of its sedan, which needed to be widened to accommodate the bigger mill. Lacking the assembly line resources to handle a car with a wider track, Mercedes enlisted Porsche to handle portions of the assembly process. Supposedly, their engineers also breathed on the suspension, but the story is still a major reason people love these brutal sedans. Do you think I should sell mine or hold onto it for a few more years? Thanks to Barn Finds reader Barney for the tip.
One of the best supercars ever built. You can drive it slow, drive it fast, or just sit and look at it. Beautiful car.
Agreed. Though it takes one heck of a lot of self-restraint to drive one slow! It was much easier to drive one TOO fast, if for no other reason than to hear that big V8 do the job Daimler-Benz and Porsche intended it to.
My vote for Jeff is to keep it, even if he has reasons not to. It’s a practical enough car, but really makes no sense. Everyone needs a dose of that in their lives.
A true Autobahnstormer…
I agree with bobhess; this is one of those cars you park on the velvet turntable in your living room and just sit back and watch it slowly revolve for hours, when you aren’t driving it, that is. I hope you can justify keeping yours, Jeff.
Very nice Mercedes!!
-furrowing brow- Did the originals have the word “Hammer” in their name?
Nope. The “Hammer” was built by AMG, and consisted mainly of jamming in a much-hotted-up M-B V8 (I think with twin-cam cylinder heads, but am not certain), with suspension, chassis, brake and and aero mods to suit. All the work was done by AMG, which was not a M-B subsidiary at the time. Hammers were available in sedan or coupe form.
I briefly drove one once. It was scary fast and had impeccable road manners. It was also not U.S.-legal, which didn’t stop a few people from importing them.